Simple Toffee Popcorn Recipe (2024)

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This homemade toffee popcorn recipe is a buttery caramel toasted popcorn and tastes like a richer Fiddle Faddle butter toffee popcorn (or a little like Crunch and Munch, if you remember that!). Some people use the terms toffee popcorn, caramel corn and kettle corn interchangeably, but they do have different recipes. We’ll cover differences between toffee popcorn vs caramel popcorn and more!

Simple Toffee Popcorn Recipe (1)

Easy Toffee Popcorn Recipe

If you want to make toffee popcorn at home like you get at fairs or festivals, you’ll love this quick toffee popcorn recipe!

How To Make Toffee for Popcorn

How do you make toffee popcorn?

  • Popcorn
  • Butter
  • Sugar
  • Corn syrup
  • Salt
  • Vanilla

(see full recipe for popcorn toffee below)

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Before we get to the recipe for butter toffee popcorn, here are some questions people have when making this dessert snack:

What is the difference between toffee and caramel popcorn?

You may be wondering is toffee popcorn the same as caramel corn? Toffee popcorn has a lighter, buttery than caramel corn because toffee popcorn uses light corn syrup, while a caramel corn recipe uses dark corn syrup.The toffee for popcorn recipe is made with light corn syrup, butter, and sugar.

If you’re wondering how to make caramel corn, it’s a very similar recipe, except swapping out the light syrup for dark corn syrup and dark brown sugar.

Why is my caramel corn so sticky?

If your recipe for caramel corn or toffee corn is sticky, it might be because you didn’t dry it properly or long enough. Be sure to spread your caramel corn / toffee popcorn recipe in a single layer on foil and allow it to dry completely before storing it in an airtight container.

YOU’LL ALSO LIKE THESE RECIPES FOR POPCORN:

Purple People Eater Popcorn Balls Recipe

Old School Stove Top Popcorn Recipe

Can you make a caramel corn recipe without corn syrup?

Yes, you can actually leave out the corn syrup from your caramel corn or toffee popcorn. The texture may be a little different than you’re accustomed to, but you will still have a yummy coated popcorn recipe to enjoy!

Kettle Corn vs Caramel Corn

Is kettle corn the same as caramel corn?

Kettle corn is not the same as caramel corn. Kettle corn is made by popping popcorn in sugar mixture, while caramel corn is made with butter, dark corn syrup, and dark brown sugar. Kettle corn is a lighter, sweet and salty treat. While caramel corn is just as yummy, it is a darker and richer simple sweet treat.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Kettle Corn On The Stove Recipe

Ok!

Let’s get to popcorn toffee recipe easy to make with your kids!

Simple Toffee Popcorn Recipe (2)

Easy Toffee Popcorn Recipe

This toffee popcorn homemade treat is an easy go-to for a birthday party treat or anytime you need an easy dessert or snacks for kids.

We didn’t add them for this recipe, but you can also make this butter toffee popcorn with nuts. Just add in a half cup of your favorite shelled nuts (like pecans or walnuts) to your toffee popcorn ingredients before adding the toffee popcorn sauce / glaze.

TIP: There is no special toffee popcorn machine. We use our popcorn popper like this oneSimple Toffee Popcorn Recipe (3) all the time and we love it. It’s perfect for this butter toffee popcorn recipe (and other popcorn recipes), too! Some people make this with microwave popcorn, but we prefer to pop or own popcorn.

Some people have also told me that they doubled the toffee glaze because they like their popcorn with toffee sauce extra gooey. So keep that in mind.

Here’s how to make toffee popcorn in a pan…

Yield: 10

Easy Toffee Popcorn

Simple Toffee Popcorn Recipe (4)

This crunchy toffee popcorn recipe is so buttery and sweet. You can vary the toffee popcorn ingredients by adding nuts or leaving them out.

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time30 minutes

Total Time40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 10 cups popped popcorn (½ cup of kernels before popping)
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Butter a large, rectangular baking pan. Set aside.
  2. Pop popcorn. Remove unpopped kernels.
  3. Spread popcorn (and nuts, if using) in the pan.
  4. In a pot, melt the butter, sugar, corn syrup, salt on low. Stir continuously until the sugar has melted and the sauce has become smooth and thickened, usually around 8-10 minutes.
  5. Remove sauce from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.
  6. Drizzle the sauce over the popcorn, stirring the until all the popcorn is completely coated.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring after the first 15 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven. Spread on lightly buttered tin foil and allow to cool completely.
  9. Store leftovers in a air-tight, covered container.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10 cups

Serving Size:

1 cup

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 228Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 223mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 1gSugar: 27gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information is estimated. Changes to the recipe and use of different brands may cause changes to the nutritional information to vary slightly from the ones provided here.

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Cooking With Books: Recipe and Read For Kids

Here are children’s books that would be great paired up with this recipe (obviously, any popcorn theme book will work well!):

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE TOFFEE POPCORN RECIPE!

LOOKING FOR FUN COOKING PRINTABLES FOR KIDS?

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Simple Toffee Popcorn Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the egg for when making caramel popcorn? ›

Popcorn at home is not hard to make. Even if you want to add candy or sauces, it doesn't require an egg. Still, some say the egg keeps the kernels from sticking together, while others say it's to keep wannabe chefs from adding too many kernels to the pan.

What's the difference between caramel popcorn and toffee popcorn? ›

Ingredient Differences

Toffee is a product of heating sugar or light corn syrup and butter at 300F. Therefore, it tastes like light buttery, and sugary candy. The sweet buttery taste balances well with the saltiness of the popcorn. On the other hand, caramel has dark corn syrup, milk or cream, and water.

What does toffee popcorn taste like? ›

First taste fresh buttery caramel, followed by sweet toffee increasing in intensity as you finish.

How do you make Martha Stewart caramel popcorn? ›

In a small saucepan, bring butter, sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil, stirring constantly. Working quickly, drizzle popcorn with sugar syrup, and toss. Spread popcorn evenly on prepared baking sheet. Bake, tossing occasionally, until golden and shiny, about 40 minutes.

Why add baking soda to caramel popcorn? ›

The baking soda reacts with the acid in the recipe (i.e., brown sugar) to create an airier, more brittle texture that's not as sticky as the recipes without it. The charms of caramel corn finally made sense. Once coated, the popcorn goes into the oven for about half an hour.

Why is my caramel popcorn not crispy? ›

How Do I Get My Popcorn Crunchy and Not Soggy? The longer you cook the syrup (the mixture of sugar and water the forms the base of the caramel sauce), the crunchier your popcorn will be. For very crunchy popcorn (my favorite!), stop cooking when you see the first wisps of smoke coming from the sugar mixture.

Is toffee just hard caramel? ›

Toffee vs Caramel

The difference between toffee and caramel is that caramel is made with white granulated sugar and cooked to 340 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas toffee is made with butter and brown sugar and cooked to 295 - 309 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why is my caramel popcorn soggy? ›

Baking the caramel-coated popcorn helps to set the caramel sauce. By skipping this step, the caramel corn will become soggy.

Is Cracker Jacks caramel popcorn? ›

The CRACKER JACK® brand has been an American favorite for 120 years. The delicious blend of caramel coated popcorn and peanuts is just as good as you remember. And, as if a tasty snack weren't enough, who can forget the thrill of opening the surprise inside?

Why is toffee popcorn round? ›

Round and wingless, mushroom popcorn is ideally suited to caramel corn; its spherical shape means it's easier to coat evenly, and its tougher texture means it can stand up to that sweet, sweet caramel without breaking apart.

How do you store toffee popcorn? ›

To keep your caramel corn fresh, be sure to store it in an airtight container or resealable bag (making sure to press as much air out as you can). The better you seal your container, the longer it will last. You can store it at room temperature on your counter for up to 2-3 weeks.

What does unicorn popcorn taste like? ›

Almost like a sweet strawberry lemonade flavor. Something fun and refreshing to help during these crazy times.

Why put an egg in pan when making caramel popcorn? ›

While some people said that she added the egg to absorb extra heat, others had different views. "Whole eggs absorb excess heat so it's an easy way to regulate the temperature balance of the other ingredients," a user wrote.

How do you make caramel popcorn crispy again? ›

If you're looking to breathe new life into the snack, spread it on a baking sheet and heat in the oven at 250°F for about five minutes. It should be as good as new!

Why did my caramel popcorn crystallize? ›

A granule of sugar, over-mixing, or uncooperative clumps of sea salt can turn caramel from a glossy, shiny confection into a dull grainy heap of chewy, brown sugar crystals.

Why are people putting an egg in their popcorn? ›

Some Twitter users said that the egg was added as a way to regulate temperatures, while others said that it was just put in to get people wondering what the hell it was doing there. At least the undesirable part of this dish gets removed by the end.

Does caramel sauce contain egg? ›

Usually caramel sauce is made with sugar, water, cream, and a bit of vanilla. Three of those ingredients are usually in the house. Cream: not always. However, eggs are usually on hand.

Why is my homemade caramel popcorn soggy? ›

Give it some time to cool. If it's still tasting soggy after 1–2 hours of cooling at room temperature, you may have under-baked the caramel corn. 1 hour in the oven is usually plenty. Additionally, be sure to cook the caramel on the stove for long enough.

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